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Fairy Sisters 2 - Magical Forest Adventures & Animal Care
Games and Education
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Welcome to the magical forest! Meet the adorable Fairy Sisters to play ant learn in their enchanted...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Supernova (2020) in Movies
Jun 24, 2021
Tucci and Firth - an acting masterclass (1 more)
A slow and very moving study of a difficult subject
“You’re not supposed to mourn someone before they die.”
Sam (Colin Firth) is a famous concert pianist. Tusker (Stanley Tucci) a famous author. But Tusker has Alzheimer's, and is starting to go downhill. The loving couple take their battered motorhome on a last great adventure round England's Lake District, taking in a visit with Sam's sister Lil while there.
Positives:
- "Love is a many splendored thing" as the song goes, and seldom has it been expressed so poignantly as in "Supernova". Harry Macqueen's script builds up a truly loving relationship between the two men. Any homophobes should be strapped into chairs and forced to watch this movie: perhaps that would cause some semblance of understanding to emerge in their petrified brains. (Who am I kidding?)
- Supporting the story brilliantly are Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci. Tucci has been in so many great movies over the years that it's no surprise to me that his acting moved me to tears. But when I think of Colin Firth (Hampshire's own! He went to my daughter's college!) my mind tends to skip over his dramatic roles in films like "The King's Speech" and "A Single Man". Instead, I tend to dwell on his lighter, fluffier roles, like "Bridget Jones" and "Mamma Mia". As such, I forget what a truly great actor he is. And here, he hits it out of the park! With all the Covid release confusion, I'm not sure whether "Supernova" is up for awards next year, or whether it has been cruelly overlooked from last year's awards. I truly hope it's the former, since both men are at the peak of their craft here.
- The cinematography by Dick Pope is beautiful. To be fair, you could put a Super 8 camera in the Lake District on a sunny day and it would look great. But the camera work here makes it look its best.
Negatives:
- Not really a negative for me, but it's about as far away from an "action film" as you can get. "Fast and Furious 9" is showing next door! This is an extremely slow, character-led piece that won't be for everyone.
- I wasn't totally convinced by the symptoms shown. Early in the film, Tusker wanders off in a daze, but seems comparatively compos mentis for most of the rest of the film. Perhaps this is just my ignorance of the randomness and unpredictability of the disease (anyone in the know - please enlighten me).
Summary Thoughts on "Supernova": As is often the way with cinema, genre films can come along like London buses. First this month we had Anthony Hopkin's Oscar-winning turn as a dementia sufferer in "The Father", and now "Supernova" appears. This takes a different approach to the subject. Not as flashy or clever. But no less effective at portraying the tragedy that this wretched disease wreaks with relationships, often making them a living hell.
Having straight actors play gay characters will no doubt provoke the usual outcry from the cancel culture. But if it's good acting - and it is a masterclass from the two leads in my book - such that you BELIEVE the story, then that's the whole point of the craft.
Like "The Father", this is a tough watch. I felt pretty well emotionally wrung-out by the end of it. But, it was well worth the wait in my book.
(For the full graphical review, please check out the "One Mann's Movies" review here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/06/24/supernova-youre-not-supposed-to-mourn-someone-before-they-die/. Thanks.)
Positives:
- "Love is a many splendored thing" as the song goes, and seldom has it been expressed so poignantly as in "Supernova". Harry Macqueen's script builds up a truly loving relationship between the two men. Any homophobes should be strapped into chairs and forced to watch this movie: perhaps that would cause some semblance of understanding to emerge in their petrified brains. (Who am I kidding?)
- Supporting the story brilliantly are Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci. Tucci has been in so many great movies over the years that it's no surprise to me that his acting moved me to tears. But when I think of Colin Firth (Hampshire's own! He went to my daughter's college!) my mind tends to skip over his dramatic roles in films like "The King's Speech" and "A Single Man". Instead, I tend to dwell on his lighter, fluffier roles, like "Bridget Jones" and "Mamma Mia". As such, I forget what a truly great actor he is. And here, he hits it out of the park! With all the Covid release confusion, I'm not sure whether "Supernova" is up for awards next year, or whether it has been cruelly overlooked from last year's awards. I truly hope it's the former, since both men are at the peak of their craft here.
- The cinematography by Dick Pope is beautiful. To be fair, you could put a Super 8 camera in the Lake District on a sunny day and it would look great. But the camera work here makes it look its best.
Negatives:
- Not really a negative for me, but it's about as far away from an "action film" as you can get. "Fast and Furious 9" is showing next door! This is an extremely slow, character-led piece that won't be for everyone.
- I wasn't totally convinced by the symptoms shown. Early in the film, Tusker wanders off in a daze, but seems comparatively compos mentis for most of the rest of the film. Perhaps this is just my ignorance of the randomness and unpredictability of the disease (anyone in the know - please enlighten me).
Summary Thoughts on "Supernova": As is often the way with cinema, genre films can come along like London buses. First this month we had Anthony Hopkin's Oscar-winning turn as a dementia sufferer in "The Father", and now "Supernova" appears. This takes a different approach to the subject. Not as flashy or clever. But no less effective at portraying the tragedy that this wretched disease wreaks with relationships, often making them a living hell.
Having straight actors play gay characters will no doubt provoke the usual outcry from the cancel culture. But if it's good acting - and it is a masterclass from the two leads in my book - such that you BELIEVE the story, then that's the whole point of the craft.
Like "The Father", this is a tough watch. I felt pretty well emotionally wrung-out by the end of it. But, it was well worth the wait in my book.
(For the full graphical review, please check out the "One Mann's Movies" review here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/06/24/supernova-youre-not-supposed-to-mourn-someone-before-they-die/. Thanks.)
March of Empires
Games and Social Networking
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Brace yourself for an age of massive medieval war, where you will march over your rivals’ burning...
Pocket Wiki for H1Z1 Lite
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Looking for help or the latest tips for the game H1Z1: King of the Kill or Just Survive? This...
Planet of Heroes - Brawl MOBA
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Looking for an exciting real time war game for smartphones? Welcome to Planet of Heroes: stunning...
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Uparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall in Books
Nov 28, 2019
This story is one of a number in a collection of Poe stories that I downloaded. I've always wanted to read Poe and this collection seemed like a good starting place.
The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall was written in 1835 and is a short story containing much that would later be labelled science fiction, The titular character lives in the Netherlands and disappears one day. Five years later a strange balloon-like craft appears and it's equally odd occupant hands the Mayor of Rotterdam a message from Hans Pfaall. The bulk of the story is the content of the message, where he describes constructing and flying a hot air balloon to the moon.
The adventure is told with a fantastic eye for detail and with a great deal of scientific descriptions of how the atmosphere thins, how much of the earth is visible and other such observations. He carries a cat and two birds (which don't fare well for various reasons). The ending and what it very strongly suggests probably won't come as a great surprise.
The language is sometimes a little obscure (it was written nearly 200 years ago, to put it in perspective) but the actual story is surprisingly modern, and some of the facts (such as the distance of the moon) must have been almost incredible to the audience at the time and perhaps education is as much the intention of the story as the entertainment value it contains.
This is a fairly straightforward tale for Poe but interesting because of the subject matter and the way it is dealt with. Perhaps one for science fiction fans rather than as an example of the author's work. Still a good read, and some of the of the hardships Pfaall describes and his solutions may well prompt a smile on the face of the reader.
Recommended? Maybe not. But still not a bad little short story.
The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall was written in 1835 and is a short story containing much that would later be labelled science fiction, The titular character lives in the Netherlands and disappears one day. Five years later a strange balloon-like craft appears and it's equally odd occupant hands the Mayor of Rotterdam a message from Hans Pfaall. The bulk of the story is the content of the message, where he describes constructing and flying a hot air balloon to the moon.
The adventure is told with a fantastic eye for detail and with a great deal of scientific descriptions of how the atmosphere thins, how much of the earth is visible and other such observations. He carries a cat and two birds (which don't fare well for various reasons). The ending and what it very strongly suggests probably won't come as a great surprise.
The language is sometimes a little obscure (it was written nearly 200 years ago, to put it in perspective) but the actual story is surprisingly modern, and some of the facts (such as the distance of the moon) must have been almost incredible to the audience at the time and perhaps education is as much the intention of the story as the entertainment value it contains.
This is a fairly straightforward tale for Poe but interesting because of the subject matter and the way it is dealt with. Perhaps one for science fiction fans rather than as an example of the author's work. Still a good read, and some of the of the hardships Pfaall describes and his solutions may well prompt a smile on the face of the reader.
Recommended? Maybe not. But still not a bad little short story.
Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated Antichrist (2009) in Movies
Jan 13, 2020
Great script (1 more)
Amazing lead performances
Lars Von Trier you magnificent BASTARD you!!!
When you sit down to watch a Lars Von Trier film... You have to be prepared for a lengthy trip into the unknown.
Willem Defoe and Charlotte Gainsborough star as a pair of parents who's child dies because... and lets be honest here... They were too busy fucking to realize they left a window open... And the kid plummets to a violently horrible end...
What we see is the slow regression of emotional damage. A decent into insanity that holds no bounds.
Von Trier is a master of dread... A story teller that knows no bounds... No topic is too much for this man's keyboard.
I've often thought how his mastery of the genre could've been better served as a novelist.
His vision would translate well onto the pages of a 40000 page novel :)
This film holds together by the brilliant performances of Gainsborough and Defoe... Following the direction of one of the greatest minds horror has ever known.
The descent into madness is documented perfectly as Gainsborough's grief takes over her everyday life in a fashion that only she could translate onto the screen. She really is a magnificent actress.
Willem Defoe does his best to hold her together, but soon he becomes a victim to her insanity in a third act that will leave the viewer's head spinning with an awesome helping of WTF!!!!
Von Trier is a master of his craft. Leaving the watcher satisfied with the end result. Not a lot of movies can say that...
If this were a Thai Massage Parlour... You'd definitely leave with a happy ending...ish...
Enjoy this one weirdos... Its in my top 20 of all time great horror films...
Sure it's artsy fartsy type stuff... But its also brilliant in its imagery... No one shoots madness like Lars Von Trier...
Enjoy....
Willem Defoe and Charlotte Gainsborough star as a pair of parents who's child dies because... and lets be honest here... They were too busy fucking to realize they left a window open... And the kid plummets to a violently horrible end...
What we see is the slow regression of emotional damage. A decent into insanity that holds no bounds.
Von Trier is a master of dread... A story teller that knows no bounds... No topic is too much for this man's keyboard.
I've often thought how his mastery of the genre could've been better served as a novelist.
His vision would translate well onto the pages of a 40000 page novel :)
This film holds together by the brilliant performances of Gainsborough and Defoe... Following the direction of one of the greatest minds horror has ever known.
The descent into madness is documented perfectly as Gainsborough's grief takes over her everyday life in a fashion that only she could translate onto the screen. She really is a magnificent actress.
Willem Defoe does his best to hold her together, but soon he becomes a victim to her insanity in a third act that will leave the viewer's head spinning with an awesome helping of WTF!!!!
Von Trier is a master of his craft. Leaving the watcher satisfied with the end result. Not a lot of movies can say that...
If this were a Thai Massage Parlour... You'd definitely leave with a happy ending...ish...
Enjoy this one weirdos... Its in my top 20 of all time great horror films...
Sure it's artsy fartsy type stuff... But its also brilliant in its imagery... No one shoots madness like Lars Von Trier...
Enjoy....
JT (287 KP) rated American Hustle (2013) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
There’s a lot of love for American Hustle and with a cast such as this it is easy to see why. It’s a film that oozes glitz and glamour and has a slick sense of stability with shades Scorsese as an attempt at a crime caper.
Bale is top draw, an opening shot that requires no dialogue sees Bale’s stomach bloating Irving Rosenfeld carefully craft a balding comb over. Then in walks his partner throughout this initial sting, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) with a beautiful perm – and this is just the male cast.
The film is loosely based on a true story. Bale’s con man falls for Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and the pair look to collude together before being nabbed by the FBI and forced to help bring down a circle of corrupt politicians as a way to avoid prosecution. This is no heist from the Soderbergh play book, but a slow churning plan that involves fake sheikhs and mafia bosses and is the brainchild of agent DiMaso who targets Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) as one of the many poor unfortunates looking to make change in a growing 70s society.
Supporting cast are exceptional, none more so than Jennifer Lawrence, as Rosenfeld’s long suffering wife who during proceedings threatens to blow the whole plan wide open. That’s not to say that Amy Adams isn’t well worth her role, but the wardrobe department must have been short on ideas for her if all that was around were dresses with plunging necklines.
Overall it plays out well but does suffer confusion as you wonder who is playing who during the whole affair. All the way through I felt that something wasn’t quite right with it. For me it didn’t have the lasting impact that The Fighter had or even Silver Linings Playbook, but as a film that wants to capture everything the 70s were about it does a stupendous job.
Bale is top draw, an opening shot that requires no dialogue sees Bale’s stomach bloating Irving Rosenfeld carefully craft a balding comb over. Then in walks his partner throughout this initial sting, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) with a beautiful perm – and this is just the male cast.
The film is loosely based on a true story. Bale’s con man falls for Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and the pair look to collude together before being nabbed by the FBI and forced to help bring down a circle of corrupt politicians as a way to avoid prosecution. This is no heist from the Soderbergh play book, but a slow churning plan that involves fake sheikhs and mafia bosses and is the brainchild of agent DiMaso who targets Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) as one of the many poor unfortunates looking to make change in a growing 70s society.
Supporting cast are exceptional, none more so than Jennifer Lawrence, as Rosenfeld’s long suffering wife who during proceedings threatens to blow the whole plan wide open. That’s not to say that Amy Adams isn’t well worth her role, but the wardrobe department must have been short on ideas for her if all that was around were dresses with plunging necklines.
Overall it plays out well but does suffer confusion as you wonder who is playing who during the whole affair. All the way through I felt that something wasn’t quite right with it. For me it didn’t have the lasting impact that The Fighter had or even Silver Linings Playbook, but as a film that wants to capture everything the 70s were about it does a stupendous job.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated A Likely Story in Books
Mar 13, 2020
No Man Dies on an Island Alone
One of the things that librarian Lindsey Norris does as part of her job is take requests to the residents who live in the islands off the coast of Briar Creek, Connecticut. And that’s what she is doing this cold February day with the help of her ex-boyfriend, Sully. Their first stop is Star Island, the home of brothers Stewart and Peter Rosen. The brothers are recluses, and Lindsey knows to never leave the dock – Stewart will meet her there. This particular afternoon, Stewart doesn’t come to meet her. After waiting a few minutes, Lindsey and Sully can’t help but feel that something is wrong, so they venture up to the house to investigate. Inside, they find one brother dead with no sign of the other. Did one brother kill the other? Or is something even more sinister involved?
Since this is book six in the series, we’ve gotten to know the series regulars pretty well, and it is fun to check in with them again here. A couple of the supporting characters even get their own sub-plots, and they added some great humor to the book. The love triangle is still going strong here, although it takes a backseat to some of the other storylines of the book. Yes, the mystery is the more prominent story of the book. Once again for this series, it doesn’t unfold in typical fashion, but I was no less hooked, and I had to know what Lindsey would uncover next as she worked to piece everything together. I did feel the ending was rushed, which left a couple of things dangling, but the big questions were all answered. We get the typical extras for this series – literature discussion questions, a craft project, recipes – as well as a bonus short story that is a lot of fun. Fans new and old will enjoy catching up with Lindsey here.
Since this is book six in the series, we’ve gotten to know the series regulars pretty well, and it is fun to check in with them again here. A couple of the supporting characters even get their own sub-plots, and they added some great humor to the book. The love triangle is still going strong here, although it takes a backseat to some of the other storylines of the book. Yes, the mystery is the more prominent story of the book. Once again for this series, it doesn’t unfold in typical fashion, but I was no less hooked, and I had to know what Lindsey would uncover next as she worked to piece everything together. I did feel the ending was rushed, which left a couple of things dangling, but the big questions were all answered. We get the typical extras for this series – literature discussion questions, a craft project, recipes – as well as a bonus short story that is a lot of fun. Fans new and old will enjoy catching up with Lindsey here.